County executive demands investigation into what is causing manhole explosions in Albany

ALBANY -- County Executive Dan McCoy wants answers as to why manhole covers continue to pop up along the capital city's streets.

During a Friday press conference in which he discussed the public safety issue, McCoy also called for an investigation into the matter, citing a previous manhole cover incident which caused some damage to the Olde English Pub on Broadway.

"We need to be proactive," McCoy said in a phone interview. "It's a matter of time before someone gets hurt. I'm calling for an investigation by the [New York State] Public Service Commission and the division of Consumer Protection. I'm asking for a hearing and want to bring everyone together to make sure this problem is solved."

McCoy said that while he understands that some of the city's infrastructure is more than 100 years old, it needs to be updated for the sake of public safety.

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He even pointed a finger at National Grid, which manages the utilities in the city, asking it to invest its profits to improve public safety.

But Patrick Stella, a spokesman for National Grid, said that safety has always been the company's number one priority, adding each manhole is inspected every five years. He also said National Grid has spent more than $1.6 million in replacing 7,500 feet of underground cable.

"Given the incidents we have seen in the last six to seven months, we have added an extra crew to inspect cables in the city and are replacing cables as we go through the inspection."

Stella said National Grid has plans within the next year to replace 15,000 feet of cables in the city.

Not long after McCoy's 11:30 a.m. press conference, the manhole cover on North Pearl Street which popped up on Thursday, did so again. Stella said that repairs being performed on a nearby cable caused both incidents.

With regards to other manhole covers which have popped up around the city during the past few months, Stella explained that when cables short, some smoldering occurs around the insulation, which causes gases to build up underground with nowhere to go.

"If people see a smoking manhole, contact us so we can catch those ahead of time," he said.

McCoy said with today's technology, there should be something done to make things more safe.

"The technology is there to put in place for safety measures," McCoy said. "I'm worried about people using the street and want to make sure they are safe."

To alert National Grid about a smoking manhole cover, call 1-800-867-5222.